The End of the World — Really?

The devastation from the tornadoes across this nation has been overwhelming. My husband and I can only watch the news in small segments since it is so heartbreaking and difficult to take in. The stories of lost loved ones are especially agonizing, and we empathize with them, thinking how we would feel if one of us or our loved ones had been missing for days. For many this is the end of their world. In the face of the ridiculous professions of doomsday, these people truly are impacted by the end to their lives and security as they know them. I am reminded of something Billy Graham said in a crusade decades ago: “The moment you die, it is the end of your world.”

Those of us who battled breast cancer know what it is like to feel as if our world is ending. It is perhaps our first thought when we are given a diagnosis of breast cancer. We wonder how long we have, we muse about death, and we worry about separation from our loved ones. I have written about this in several past blogs because death is such a threat to cancer survivors. As a breast cancer survivor, I am constantly moved by people who face the death of loved ones or have to plan for their own. Predicting the end of the world may be a sport for some, but for many cancer patients and victims of natural disasters it is a reality.

Recently a teammate of my son, The Big Guy, was killed in a senseless violent act. He was a terrific young man with great talent and huge promise who was gunned down in a parking lot when he went to the aid of another man in a skirmish. He was only there to pick up a friend. It was a violent end to a promising future. It was the end of his world. His parents have been comforted by their faith and by the knowledge of the deep abiding faith of their son who was killed. His father comforted his son’s teammates by assuring them that this college football player had been drafted to a better team. He was playing on God’s team now. It is faith that takes us through the end of our world, ironically it is proclaimed faith that people use to predict world disaster for others. I am convinced that they have no idea what they are talking about or the agony they inflict on a few poor vulnerable souls.

I am a committed Christian and believe in the Bible as the inerrant word of God. In Mark 13:32, Jesus says “no man knows the day or the hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, only the Father.” Now if God isn’t telling Jesus the time and day of the end of the world, why would he tell anyone else? Every day is the end of the world for someone. Let’s worry about getting through those.

Please remember to pray for those who are still looking for loved ones in the aftermath of these horrific tornadoes.

Kathy-Ellen

Editor’s note: Everyday Health has just launched Everyday Health for All, a Web site where you can donate to tornado relief and other health causes. The funds collected are sent to AmeriCares, a relief organization that responds to natural disasters and health crises around the world. Join us in this effort.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathy-Ellen Kups, RN

Kathy-Ellen is a Registered Nurse living in Michigan. In 2003, Kathy-Ellen was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. She was cancer-free from April 2004 until December of 2013 when it was discovered that...read more